Redemption of the Cursed
by OneWriterOfMany
Summary: On a stormy night on Blackwood Mountain, 8 teenagers hope to have a good time, catch up with one another, and forget about the past. But they soon learn the past cannot be forgotten, as they are forced to endure a night of horror.But not everything on the mountain is there to harm them, as a cursed, monstrous being seeks to protect them from the hell he partially created. Slight AU
1. The Origin

_Hello everyone, and welcome to my story! I absolutely loved playing Until Dawn, I thought it's characters, it's plot, and the suspense that it put you through was amazing! BUT I had always wished that there was more explanation to the curse and the M_ _akkapitew. From there my mind spun off into a variety of ideas, and after reading some of the stories here, I had the inspiration to write this one down! This story will be mostly (if not completely) told through the Makkapitew's perspective, and will focus on his transformation, both becoming a wendigo with no humanity, to him slowly regaining it and seeking a way to be released (It's a LOT more complicated than that, but I don't want to spoil anything :) ), along with the eight teenagers that come up that one fateful night. Because of this, much of the beginning of this story will be pre-game, and will show much more of the events of the past that built up the main game. So, without further ado, let's begin!_

 _ **RATING: T/M** Just in case! If a chapter gets particularly violent, I'll let you know!_

* * *

 **1\. The Origin**

 _Surrounded_

That was the first thing that came to mind as I sat there, my hands bound tightly, as my people looked down upon me with varying levels of worry and disgust. None of them truly understood what had happened, or understood what I had done or why I had done it. But in their minds, they knew enough to find me deserving of whatever was to come next.

Twelve days ago, I left my tribe to scout further up the mountain for a more suitable living area, travelling with my fellow scout Ahote; We were only meant to be gone for three days, at most. After a full day of travelling up the mountain, away from the safety of our clan, a violent snow storm swirled in the clouds, descending down upon us. We took shelter in a nearby cave, waiting for the conditions to improve. For hours we watched the sky, watched as the winds and snow only increased in intensity. We realized then that we would have to turn back, our supplies of food and water would only last for a few more days, if used sparingly. Ahote wanted to leave immediately, through the perils of the storm, down to the rest of the tribe, believing we would make it if we left immediately. I urged him to have patience; Surely the storm would improve if we gave it time. After debating, I eventually convinced him to spend the remainder of the day and night within the cave, and in the morning we would head out after the storm had passed.

When morning arrived, I realized I had made a grave mistake. The storm had not relented over the night, and now covered the land in a thick blanket of snow that rose almost up to our knees, and only continued to grow. We knew leaving the cave now would be futile, and were only left with one choice: wait in hopes that our people would come for us.

The cave became our prison, and as days passed with our supplies of food slowly dwindling, yet by now the storm was fading somewhat, though there was too much snow for us to escape easily. My hope began to diminish, as the realization dawned on me that this cave would likely become our tomb. Ahote, restless with pains of hunger and the bitter cold, refused to wait in the cave to die.

After four days, he left the cave in the night while I slept, stealing what little food and spare furs we had between us to keep warm. When I discovered this in the morning, I became furious. How could he leave me with nothing, so that I could die here alone and hungry? I was becoming weaker with the lack of food and constant cold, but in an act of desperation, I took off into the snow, following his tracks down the path we had come up days ago. The cold was brutal, and I could feel each of fingers and toes slowly become colder and colder, and eventually I found myself almost completely unable to move them. I knew that what I was doing was foolish, that if I couldn't catch up to Ahote soon, I would likely never make it back into the cave. But there was one thought that kept me going:

 _I will survive this. I will not die. Find Ahote._

After following his tracks for what felt like hours, I finally found Ahote. He was collapsed, face first in the snow, not shivering, or moving; The cold had killed him. For a moment, my anger over his betrayal faded, as I stared down at his now lifeless body. He didn't want to die in that cave, and I was the one who trapped him in there. He didn't deserve this, dying cold and exhausted, like prey running from it's predator.

Without thinking, I grabbed Ahote's legs, and started the journey back to the cave, moving as quickly as possible. He deserved to be reuinited with our people, to be buried with our ancestors, to be at peace. Cold and exhausted, I arrived back in my meager shelter, allowing his body to lay in the corner of my shelter. With what I had retrieved off his corpse, I hoped it would be enough to keep me alive until others came.

The little food Ahote had stolen lasted me only another day. By now six days had passed since I had left my tribe, and I had no longer any source of food. My mind began to drift to despair once again. Wouldn't the Chief had sent help by now? Was this storm impeding them? Would I ever be saved?

 _Surely they must be coming soon_

I held on to my hope, allowing this thought to drive away the fear I was beginning to have. Despite this dire situation I was stuck in, I hoped it would be enough .

 _They must be coming to help._

 _They MUST._

Three more days passed after I ran out of food. By now the storm had long since stopped, but I was no longer strong enough to stand for prolonged periods, let alone walk the journey back down the mountain. Hunger gnawed at my being, a craving for sustenance that I couldn't satisfy. Despite the few furs I would drape over my body, the cold tore into my very being, as if a strong gust of wind could freeze my body entirely.

In this, what I believed would be my final moments, my thoughts returned to my clan. How they never sent anyone to help me. How foolish I was to believe that they could save us. If only I could leave, if only I had the strength to escape death's cold grip, but I was just so _HUNGRY._

It was after this a realization occurred, I slowly looked over at Ahote's body, peacefully laying in the corner where I had left him. A single idea came to my head; A sick, twisted, horrific idea, but it could save me. I could escape my fate. I could _live._ I just had to be willing to do what I needed to.

 _I can survive. There is only one way. I know what I have to do._

My mind was pushing me. I was nauseous , trembling, as I slowly crawled over to his body. Tears stung in my eyes as I slowly drew my hunting knife. I wasn't ready to die, I knew that. But was I ready for this? Was I ready to sacrifice my humanity to prolong my life?

 _Do it to survive. To SURVIVE._

* * *

It was two days after I began to eat Ahote that my people found me. How disgusting I must have appeared to them. A scout, barely old enough to be a man, hunched over his body, feasting on his left thigh, blood covering my mouth and splashed on my neck. I didn't even notice them at first, so focused I was on my craving for food. I didn't want them to see me like this, nobody was ever supposed to come. I was only to eat enough to get my strength back, enough to fill my aching, cold body. Once I had my fill and could walk easily again, I could travel back down the mountain to my people, and tell them Ahote had perished on the way, or had been attacked by wildlife. _Something_ different. But there would be no hiding the truth now.

The scouts brought me back to our camp, along with the remains of Ahote. Looks of disgust were plastered on their faces whenever they looked at me. I could never return their gazes, staring firmly at the ground as I was brought before our Chief. They told him of my crimes, of how I had betrayed Ahote in death and ate from his corpse. I tried to explain what had happened, pleaded with them, but they refused to listen. I was no longer a person in their eyes, I was a monster. A monster who would gladly rip the flesh off their bones and joyfully devour it, before moving onto my next victim.

And so am I here, sitting in the dirt, as the Shaman prepares the ritual, my punishment. Various totem poles surround me, their eyes staring through me; They would be necessary to attract the attention of the spirits.

Helplessness and fear fill me, as I wait for the Shaman to begin. " _What will happen to me now?_ ", I wondered to myself. This ritual is different, one that I've never seen. One that has never been done or seen before by anyone in the tribe.

 _Why am I the one deserving of this punishment?_

I began to reason with myself, my fear slowly fading, and being replaced with anger. Ahote almost killed me. He betrayed me, HE was the one that forced me to use the last of my strength trying to find him. Because of him, because of HIS stupidity, he was dead, and through him I only had one opportunity to live. And now because I took that only opportunity, my life is forfeit as well.

 _I am NOT deserving of this punishment!_

And yet here I am, looked down upon by my own people. How dare they sit there and judge ME? Had they come sooner, we both could have been saved! Because of them, because of their neglect, they lost a good man, and were about to willingly destroy another, to erase away the reminder of how they failed us. How they failed me.

 _And THEY wish to punish ME!_

My anger and hatred rose through me, clouding my thoughts, as I watched the Shaman walk towards me. He was hiding behind one of his many masks, this time wearing one carved with the expression of anger, as red paint surrounded it's eye-holes and formed a solid line down it's cheeks, and fangs protruded from its grimace. Behind it all, I knew he was smiling. Why wouldn't he be? I knew he couldn't wait to be rid of me, to put this horrible event behind him and pretend it didn't happen. How he must enjoy these punishments he disposes on his people, behind those fake faces of his. The Chief appeared behind him, his face hiding any emotion he felt. Anger surged through me as I met his gaze.

 _It should be YOU sitting here now! YOU!_

The Shaman looked over at the crowd that had gathered, before he finally spoke.

"You disgrace us with your very presence, Mingan."

He began to pace around the outer edge of the circle of totems he had created, his masked face never looking away from me.

" Not only us," He continued, "But our ancestors as well. _Your_ ancestors" .

He became silent once more, as he slowly finished his first lap around the circle. He stopped in front of me, looking down upon me. I looked up to meet his gaze, anger brewing in my mind.

"Ahote had such a life ahead of him. He was young, as you are, only recently had he completed his passage into adulthood. And now he was taken from us," He began to raise his voice with a passion I had not expected. "Taken by YOU!"

 _NO. I will not be responsible for that fool's death! He got himself killed, he BETRAYED me!_

The crowd watched in silence, the Chief continuing to stare at me. I remained silent, staring into the Shaman's tiny eye slits in his mask, occasionally looking back at the Chief. I refused to show them any of my fear or anger, the Shaman would not get the satisfaction.

"Your own stupidity doomed not only yourself, but him as well!" the Shaman said as he continued to berate me. "Had you left when the storm came initialy, like Ahote wanted too, you could have been saved! But instead you waited! And when your death was imminent, rather than face it with any dignity, you instead turned to your own inner cowardice, and consumed the flesh of the dead as a means of survival."

My anger was becoming an unstoppable wave that needed to be released as I tried to contain it as best I could. The shaman lowered himself then, to get eye level with me, his face merely inches away from mine. I returned his gaze with one of my own.

His voice became much quieter, but held just as much disgust."Not only did you doom the life of your fellow man, but you disgraced him by mutilating his body for your own sick survival! You betrayed him, coward!" His last words were barely a whisper, but it was too much for me to contain.

"Who has betrayed who, Shaman?" I replied, raising my voice with each passing word as my anger became vocalized.

"Ahote was a fool! He left me to die, he betrayed ME!" I was shouting now, fully releasing the boundless anger I was feeling.

"What he did left me with no choice! HIS stupidity doomed ME! And when the threat of untimely death was closing in, I did what I had to do to survive! Do any of you understand that!? Of course you don't!"

 _Cowards! They all would have made the same choice if it were them!_

The Chief stepped forward, speaking for the first time, "Be silent, you fool! Even now, you try to slither out of your death at the cost of others!"

"Where were you, Chief?!" I was almost screaming, making sure every single person in that crowd could hear me clearly, throwing my head around to get a good look at all of them.

"Had any of you sent someone sooner, had ANY of you come sooner, we both could have been saved! Instead you sat back and waited as the days passed without our return! You are to blame as much as that fool was!". My anger was driving me now, spurring me on with a strength that I hadn't felt in days.

"Enough!" yelled the Shaman, as he stepped back away from me, briefly looking to the sky.

"Though his time was cut short, Ahote is at peace now". He looked back down at me, his eyes narrowing through his mask. "No matter what tragic pain or suffering you brought upon him, he is, and forever will be, safe from any earthly harm, as will we all when our moment comes" The Shaman briefly looked over at the rest of the crowd before returning his gaze to me. "Except for you."

"You are a monster, forged in your own fear of death! And so you will never find the peace that it brings! We give you over to this land, your humanity stripped away, never to join us in the Great Beyond! This is your punishment, Mingan! We condemn you this world, living as the feral monster you are, for all of eternity!

My fear returned to me, as I didn't fully understand what his intentions were. I was to become feral? Stripped of my humanity? What plan did these people, MY people, have in store for me?

It was then that the Shaman fixed his gaze upwards to the clouds, and began to speak. His words were ones that I didn't understand, and as I quickly looked around to search the faces of those gathered around me, I could tell they didn't either. It was as if he was no longer speaking to me, or anyone around me, but to the sky itself.

As the Shaman continued his chant, the totem poles, perfectly placed in a neat circle, slowly began to glow a bright white out of their eye sockets; At first it was a dim light, barely noticeable, but as the Shaman's speech to the sky continued, the glow began to intensify, slowly becoming more and more blinding. As they became brighter, I could feel my panic and fear taking over me once more. I tried to look up at the Shaman, or anyone else around me, but I could no longer see anything except for the blinding light. I tried to scream or shout, anything to stop what was happening to me, but I neither felt my mouth move nor heard any sound, except the unknown curse the Shaman was vocalizing.

 _What is happening to me? Why won't they stop this? Somebody make it stop! Please! MAKE IT STOP!_

Fear had filled me completely once more. I couldn't move to stand or shout, and I couldn't see anything with the light that surrounded me. All I could hear was the ranting of the Shaman as he perpetuated this nightmare.

 _Is there anyone even here anymore? Am I alone now?_

 _Am I dead? Is this my eternal prison?_

 _No, I must remain calm, I will get through this. I have to._

I rummaged through my mind, trying to focus on something, anything, besides this fear I was feeling. I thought back on my life, on the events that brought me to this moment. Our scouting, the storm, Ahote's betrayal...

 _BETRAYERS! All of them!_

My anger was refreshed once more, as I willingly allowed it to flow through me again, to consume me.

 _They put me here! They are making me suffer!_

I yearned to be free once more, to be able to tear them all apart for the suffering they were inflicting on me. To be able to force them to suffer the way I was suffering.

 _I want them to pay! To be punished! They deserve it! All of them!_

All of a sudden, the Shaman stopped speaking in his unfamiliar language, and instead uttered one final phrase.

"It is done, he is ready."

In another moment, I felt something sharp driven into the back of my skull. In the next, there was complete, utter blackness, with only one, singular thought filling my mind as a coldness enveloped me:

 _VENGEANCE_ _!_

* * *

 _Whew, this chapter was a bit longer than I think most of the chapters will be, probably because I spent multiple days getting it right (gotta make a good first impression, right? xD)_

 _Anyways, thanks for reading! If you enjoyed it, feel free to fav or follow it! This is one of my first stories, so feel free to leave me a review and help me improve! Half the enjoyment comes from my readers enjoying it too!_


	2. Hunger

_Hello again! Glad you're still with us! To be honest, not my favorite chapter to write, but an important one nonetheless. These next few chapters will be more focused on the Makkapitew learning, and dealing with his old tribe. I won't say more, I feel I spoiled enough! Just wanted you guys to know the immediate direction we are headed in._

* * *

 **2\. Hunger**

 _Dark. Cold. Empty._

I was surrounded by darkness, an empty void that seemed infinite. For the first time in my existence, I was completely alone; There was no sound or sight, only blackness, the only stimulus in this place being the thoughts from my own mind.

 _Is this what death is? Did they simply killed me?_

 _No, they wouldn't, would they? This cannot be my death, but what is it?_

I had no way to answer my thoughts, as I continued to... _exist_...in this empty place, wondering what was to become of me.

 _Will I be doomed to remain here forever, to suffer alone in the dark?_

 _Is THIS my punishment?_

 _No. Please no._

As I asked myself this, I began to see something. The smallest change of color, a light on the horizon. It was almost unnoticeable at first, but as I focused on it, it became clear that there was there. The more I concentrated, the more I started to feel a small tug, as if the light had it's own gravitational pull

I willingly embraced this feeling, and felt myself begin to float in the direction of the light. I flailed my arms and legs around, hoping to gain some momentum forward; I didn't know what this place was, but it's emptiness terrified me. I didn't know what was causing the light, but I knew that anything was better than simply floating in this void forever. I was beginning to make progress, the light was starting to grow in size, very slowly. I willed myself forward, hopeful that it would lead to anywhere else that wasn't an empty nothingness.

After travelling for what felt like hours, I finally got close enough to this light to see that I was closing in on it, as it steadily moved closer and closer to me. As it turned out, the "light" wasn't a simple light at all, but was something...different. It was roughly the shape of a sphere, but it's edges were constantly rippling, as if it were a drop of water. I could just barely see into it, as if it were a window to a different place entirely.

 _White landscape. Snow in the air. Something that appears to be trees in the distance. Is this the mountain?_

I slowly reached my hand out to the globe, wondering what would happen if I touched it. As my fingers made contact with it, everything changed in an instant.

Bright light washed over my vision, replacing the darkness that was consuming me previously. I felt like I was being pulled forward, towards something I couldn't see. A bitter chill began to fill me, and the farther I was being pulled, the colder it became. I felt splitting pain in my head, as I struggled to remember or concentrate on something. I was being changed, forged into something different; It was as if someone was going through my head and implanting a different person. New instincts. New motives. New identity.

All at once, it stopped. The pain in my head, the cold, the light, it had all completely disappeared. The blackness had returned, but I could feel my eyelids pressed against my eyes. During whatever had just happened, I must have been forcing them shut out of fear.

 _...starving._

A quiet voice drifted into my head as I was re-introduced to reality, and it took me a second to realize that it was the voice of my thoughts. I opened my eyes, and found the world around me jarring.

The landscape had become a deep shade of red, and I could no longer see the specific details of the world around me. The falling snow had remained white, as did many of the branches of the trees or leaves while the wind blew around me. Panic took over as I jerked my head back and forth, looking around me, trying to restore my vision to what it once was, but it was no use. I looked down at my hands, but through the shade of red I didn't find my normal hands, but instead giant hands with long, pointed claws where my fingers were. I continued to look over my body in horror, as I saw that my limbs had become skinny and elongated like tree branches, and my torso was twisted and shaped to add length to my body. My skin was pulled tight against my bones, and I couldn't feel a single strand of hair that still remained on me. I tried to scream as loud as I could, but instead of the sharp yell of a man, a hideous, inhuman screech escaped my throat and into the night.

 _Starving..._

The noise returned in the back of my mind, uttering the same word in the back of my mind. This time, however, it was much louder, as if refusing to be ignored.

 _Haven't eaten in so long. Starving._

I began to notice the aching in my stomach, and wondered how I had gone so long without noticing it? My panic began to dissipate a little, as I allowed myself to think about my lack of food.

 _Hungry._

The aching in my stomach began to drastically change into a gnawing pain, a craving for food, that needed to be satisfied.

 _Hungry, so hungry. Need to eat. Need to FEED._

I was so hungry, I had to satisfy my cravings for food before I could think straight. It was as if instincts I never knew existed began to take over. I returned to all fours, finding it much easier to move through my surroundings that way. A slow crawl on all fours quickly adapted into a quick trot, until I leaped forward with surprising strength into a tree, and realized this would be a much quicker way to move about.

 _Need prey. So very hungry. Satisfy the craving.._

I leapt through the woods with surprising agility, driven by desires I didn't fully understand. But I didn't care, all that mattered was finding prey. After leaping through the woods, I noticed something. I could tell it was a large animal of some kind, but I couldn't distinguish it's features, as it only appeared to be a white, slow moving beast. It was more than enough.

 _Kill. DEVOUR. EAT!_

My mind drove me, as I let out another horrifying screech, and leaped for my prey. The animal didn't have time to react as I landed on it, knocking it down. Before it could react, I grabbed for what I believed to be it's head, and in one solid motion, swiftly decapitated it with my other claws.

I wasted no time in feasting on the body, cutting into it's flesh with my claws and teeth. Only when I had started chewing did I realize even my teeth were different. They were longer and sharper, bent slightly outward, as if to enhance my bite more than it has been already. They helped rip the beast apart as I fed off of it.

Now that I was extremely close to my food, I could begin to see some detail of the animal I had slain. I glanced over at it's head I had cut off in between bites, noticing for the first time there were antlers protruding from its skull.

 _Deer. The prey was deer._

 _...I had the strength to tackle and decapitate a deer._

While I should have found this realization disturbing, I found this realization to be oddly comforting, as I resumed eating.

I had eaten most of the body, when a brightness began to slowly take over the landscape. I looked upward, noticing the darkness was beginning to fade. On the horizon, a ball of intense, bright white light was beginning to appear.

 _No. Not the light again. Hide from the light._

Brief memories of the ritual came flooding back to me. A bright light, isolating me from the world around me. For a brief moment I looked around, before quickly grabbing what was left of my prey, and began to drag it with me, looking for some place to escape. Through the landscape, I luckily found a hole in the mountain, and saw that it was shrouded in darkness.

 _Cave. Safe from the light. It cannot hurt me here._

I continued to feast on the deer, when I began to notice that, despite eating almost all of the deer, I still had an aching in my stomach.

 _Crave something else. Something...different._

I poured through my head, trying to think of something, anything, to satisfy my new craving for food. It was here I realized how little I remembered of my past, as I struggled to remember who I even was before I had become what I was now. But, there was still one memory fresh in my mind, as if it had just happened a second ago.

 _A snow storm trapped me in a cave...stuck in it for days...had to...EAT._

The memories came flooding back all at once. The storm, Ahote abandoning me, only for me to find him dead in the snow later. Of my starvation, and desperation...and how I saved myself.

 _Delicious.._

Memories of my tribe, and how they branded me a monster. Their ritual...and now this.

 _They did this! They did this to me!_

 _They made me a monster!_

 _But now..now I am stronger! Stronger than them!_

I thought back to Ahote, to the Shaman and the Chief, and the crowd of people that surrounded me; They all had betrayed me, had twisted me into what I was now. Yet now, as I remembered them, a new thought arose to my mind.

 _PREY._


	3. Enveloped by Fear

_Gah! Sorry guys! For the past couple of days, finals and studying have been consuming most of my time, leaving me little to write this next chapter. I originally wanted to include much more, but to allow everyone to have something new to read, I'll write that as it's own spare chapter later. Finals aren't quite finished yet, but I hope to get out more chapters as soon as I can!_

 _...oh my, it's past midnight...Anyways, enjoy!_

* * *

 **3\. Enveloped by Fear**

I spent the remainder of the day in the cave, hiding from the light of the outside world. All I could think about was _them._ My people, the ones who turned me into what I was now. I wondered if they knew what they had made me into. Perhaps many assumed that my existence ended when the ritual was concluded and my death was ordered. Maybe they saw my body transform into what it was now, but assumed I was weak and frail. Regardless of what they thought, they would soon know clearly: I was a beast, with a craving for their flesh.

 _Find the prey. Feast on them. Make them suffer as I have!_

This had become my reason for living now: a being of vengeance, eager to show my betrayers what they had done, and how they would suffer for it.

When night came, and a cool darkness returned to the landscape, I re-emerged, eager to begin my hunt. With a screech of excitement that echoed throughout the landscape, I took off into the night, darting along the ground and through the trees, clinging to them with ease. I had to find them, only they would satisfy my cravings, and what a delight it would be to hunt them, find them, and tear them asunder.

For hours I traveled down the mountain, sticking to what I believed were paths that my tribe would stick to, yet I hadn't found a single trace of them yet. Perhaps through my impaired vision, I had missed crucial giveaways to where they were? Or, this wasn't a path that was used down the mountain at all, and I simply misinterpreted it as such?

 _Where are they? Why can't I find them? I must find them! I MUST!_

Frustrated, I scanned the ground, hoping to find some clue, some footprints or a carving, that would point to where the tribe would be. If there was anything to see, there was no way for me to see it. The land appeared to be dull red, erasing any small details or imperfections within it.

 _How can I track them if I cannot SEE? How will I find them?_

 _I must think. THINK! Concentrate_

I had completely stopped moving, as I searched for any solutions I had hidden in my head.

 _Concentrate. Think. I WILL find them_

In the distance, far beyond what I could see, I heard the smallest voice, the tiniest whisper. And then, moments later, I heard it again. I couldn't tell what was being said or what the sound was, but, as if by my new instincts, I knew from what it was coming from.

 _As one sense dims, another sharpens. I have found them! PREY!_

 _But...how did I hear that? How is that possible?_

 _…Does not matter! PREY! Consume! Find it!_

My mind was in conflict, as if thoughts were arguing with themselves. I took off into the trees, my destination now clear. I had heard something in the distance, but it was more than that. It was almost as if I could… _sense_ the creature's presence, as if there was a bond between us, pulling me towards what was on the other end.

* * *

 _They are much farther away than I expected. How do I know they are here?_

After travelling further and further down the mountain, I heard yet another sound: a voice, this time louder than before, and I could tell it was much closer. I leaped forward, dashing through the landscape as I approached the source of the noise, the strange "bond" I was feeling becoming stronger; I was close now.

I came upon a clearing, and after quickly scaling a tree, looked down and found exactly what I was looking for.

 _Prey..._

Tipis and other shelters built along trees were scattered throughout the area, the people occupying them had long since retired for the night. Fires were long extinguished or burnt out, shrouding the area in a natural darkness, leaving only the moon to illuminate the area. There was no movement outside, save for the branches from an occasional gust of wind.

 _So many unsuspecting, sleeping in their shelters…_

 _Oh, how I have waited for this moment! How I will make them suffer!_

I was ready to descend upon them; To disturb them all from their dreams into a horrific new nightmare, when I heard the voice again. It was coming from one of the tipis. Curious, I stalked through the area, staying as silent as possible to prevent anyone from being alerted to my presence. The tipi lit up a bright white as it slightly rustled; Anyone who was inside that tent was clearly awake. I approached it, being careful to avoid the opening and exposing myself.

"…They have to know, Shaman! We must tell them!"

"Patience, my chief, not everything the spirits tell us are true."

 _Is that whom I think it is?_

Though I couldn't see them, I knew exactly who those voices belonged to.

... _The Shaman,_

 _The Chief_

 _BETRAYERS!_

I felt the welcome return of anger, as images of the ritual flashed into my head. The light, the solitude, _the fear._ It took all my willpower to resist the urge to simply barrel into the tipi, slaughtering them then and there.

 _Killing them quickly would be too kind. They will feel fear as I did!_

I began to formulate an idea in my head, as I slowly moved around the tipi, searching for the opening. The two were speaking in hushed whispers, but they were more than loud enough for me to hear them.

"The butterflies were everywhere in my dreams, Shaman! A horde of black and brown, fluttering around me, until they took shape. They became the monster that was created in that ritual!".

 _Are they are talking about…me?_

 _They must be…what other beast could they have created?_

 _…Is that terror I hear in his voice? Good._

"Calm yourself, Nootau! I have heard you describe your dreams to me enough! You saw what we did, we drove a knife into the back of his skull! His spirit is gone; he has no way to seek vengeance!"

 _It has been ages since I heard someone use the Chief's real name…_

"Then what of the… _thing…_ that was created? It was hideous, Shaman!". The Chief raised his voice slightly, and his panic was much more noticeable.

 _It appears I am causing him to panic…_

 _Oh, but his suffering has only begun! How I will rip into their flesh!_

I had found the entrance to the tipi, and slowly peered in, wishing to remain hidden. I saw two figures, one facing the entrance, and one with is back to me. They were illuminated white by their frantic hand gestures and other movements they were making, and for the first time in days I could clearly make out their shapes and figures.

"Listen to me!" The shaman was jerking his head around, clearly becoming paranoid, "We must remain strong in these times of fear! Tomorrow you shall lead our people off this forsaken mountain, and I shall continue to converse with the spirits. We will get through this, Chief! We will…"

The Shaman happened to glance downward towards the opening in the tipi, and I could tell what he was looking at: the pair of unblinking eyes that had been focusing on him since they looked upon him.

…survive".

With a screech, I leaped into the tipi, my claws outstretched for the Shaman. He fell to the ground, my weight resting upon him. In a swift motion, I grabbed his head with both my hands, forcing it off the ground, before quickly bashing it into the ground. With a small yelp, the Shaman lied there.

 _PREY. CAPTURE! DEVOUR!_

I glanced over to the Chief, who, up until now, had been standing there, paralyzed with fear. As my eyesight rested upon him, he bolted out of the tipi, screaming for help.

 _This one shall not run from ME!_

Before he could get to far, I leapt towards him, slashing at his legs. One of my claws connected with his thigh, causing him to trip and fall, blood seeping from his fresh wound. Continuing to scream, he tried his best to stand and move, but quickly fell when he applied pressure to his leg. I grabbed him as he tried to stand, and with strength I didn't realize I possessed, threw him to the side. He hit a nearby tree with a thud, sliding to the ground.

 _COLLECT THE PREY. BRING TO SHELTER._

I glanced back at the body in the tipi. The shaman appeared to be dead, but the faint rising in his chest showed otherwise. I ran back, grabbing his leg, before dragging him along the ground towards the Chief, collecting his body as well.

I could hear others shouting around me, some in bewilderment, and others in fear. I glanced around, seeing the multitude of bodies moving around me, none daring to get too close, afraid of what I could do to them.

 _Oh What a feast they would be!_

 _…No, take the prey I already have! Come back for them later!_

I offered one final, tremendous screech, exposing my jutted, sharp teeth to them. The people scattered, running to protect their families or themselves.

I glanced down at my two captives I held in my hands. They were completely unconscious, blissfully unaware of the predicament they were now in.

 _How easy it would be to devour them now, to shed their flesh from their bones!_

 _NO! That is too good for them! They will not have suffered as I did!_

An idea came to mind, a fitting punishment for people as worthy as my new prisoners. One that would make them suffer as I did.

 _I know exactly how I shall make them suffer!_

* * *

 _Hey, if you read through this, thanks for reading! I appreciate you taking time to read through these chapters, and hope you enjoyed them as much as I enjoy writing them!_


	4. The Making of Monsters

_So, I've updated the pairings in the story's summary. More of a error on my behalf, I had forgotten to do it when I created the summary in the first place. What does this change? Absolutely nothing, especially in the short term, since we aren't very close to the actual prank night. BUT, I figured people who shipped AshleyxChris would want to know that that is the direction I would be heading with them!_

 ** _ALSO, I'll be changing the rating of this story to T/M._** _This is more of a precaution than anything, and I won't be going into excrutiating detail, so if you've seen/played through the games, know that it probably won't be that graphic. I've updated chapter one with this rating, and if a chapter gets particularly violent, I'll let you know up here._

 _Finals are just about over, so I can hopefully get chapters out at a much smoother pace, sorry again!_

* * *

 **4\. The Making of Monsters**

I dragged the Shaman and Chief's bodies further up into the mountain, returning to the cave, my new, familiar home. By the time I made it back it was almost daybreak, and I was eager to be reunited with my shelter's darkness. I descended into the bowels of the cave, dragging my new prisoners along with me. I had to be quick, soon they would awaken, and I wanted to ensure they would be stuck down here with me.

 _There will be no escape for them!_

After getting significantly deeper into the cave, I found what I was looking for; One of the cave's paths began to steepen, to the point that it all but a vertical slope upwards to escape out of it. Eventually it bottomed out, forming a deep pit. With my claws, I would have no problem gripping to the small cracks within the walls and leaving, but my prey would find themselves quite stuck down here. A small hole was present in the ceiling, exposing a small ray of light into the pit, leaving them with just enough light to see. It would be here that I kept them, trapped alone in the cave, and would watch them slowly starve to death. But unlike what had happened to me, they would get no rescue, no salvation that would ultimately end in them becoming a twisted beast. They would die, alone and afraid, and once they were gone, the rest of my people would follow, as I used them as a delicious source of food.

I left the Chief and Shaman in the pit, climbing out to await their return to reality; After all the time that had passed since I attacked them, it didn't take long. As they began to stir back to life, I exited the pit hiding myself away within the cave's darkness, spying on them as they realization of their dire situation settled in.

The Chief was by far the most vocal of the duo. Once he was fully awakened, fear quickly took over as he scrambled around, trying to find a way out of his new prison, all the while alternating between yelling for help and fearfully sobbing. He would try scrambling up the sides of the walls, hoping that he could push himself out, only to slide back down. He tried this for hours, until he finally collapsed in a corner, exhausted from the mixture of strenuous activity and yelling.

The Shaman was a different story altogether. When he was awoken by the Chief's pitiful cries, he didn't simply join him in his fear, and panic along with him. Instead, he sat up, and simply remained where he was, as if in a meditative state. He sat there, eyes closed, with a calm expression; It became very hard to see him, as in his stillness blended him in with the world around him.

 _Why does he not move? Where is his fear? His panic? WHERE!? I want him to be AFRAID!_

 _…Does he have hope?...Must have patience then! Soon he will lose it! Then he will panic! Then he will die, and I will eat! Oh what a feast they will be!_

I left them in the pit for days, checking on them occasionally. Through the first couple of days, the Chief thought he could find a way out, going to the edges of the pit and attempting to climb out; He failed every attempt, and any time he got close I would intervene, showing myself to him, which would send him back down, cowering in fear. After his fourth day, the lack of food or water took a toll on him, leaving him too weak to try to escape. When this happened, his hope finally broke, and with it his body. He would simply lay there, either in a state of gnawing hunger or fear whenever I decided to shriek or screech.

The Shaman was much different. Throughout the days, he barely moved from the spot he sat in. Curiously, he never tried to escape with the Chief, perhaps realizing it would only hasten their deaths. When I watched him, I could hear him faintly whispering, but it was never directed at my other prisoner; In fact, the Shaman rarely spoke to the Chief at all, except on rare occasions when he silenced his sobbing. As the days wore on, I could see the lack of food begin to wear on him too, but I never saw him simply give up as the Chief had, it was infuriating.

Through this time, my hunger for flesh had long since returned, and I had tried to sustain myself on the meat of other unsatisfying animals, but it did little sate my desire for the prey in my pit. Finally, after watching them for at least five days, I began to feel the return of more intrusive thoughts into my mind.

 _They have suffered enough! Feast on the prey!_

I had to stop myself, I wanted them to suffer until their timely demise; Cutting their lives short would be too good for them. This was their punishment.

 _..No! They will die first! Their suffering will not be at an end!_

 _You suffer as they suffer! Eat them, and relieve your hunger! Satisfy yourself!_

A shiver ran up the bones of my spine, as I realized that these intrusive thoughts no longer identified itself as a part of me, but as if it were a different being entirely. Was my head a host for someone, or something else? Before I could concentrate on this, I began to overhear noises coming from the pit. As I moved to investigate, I realized it was a conversation between my prisoners, and eagerly positioned myself to listen.

"…How can you not be afraid? Look at where we are, Shaman! We are stuck here, until that _THING_ decides it is ready to kill us!" The Chief moved himself, positioning himself to look at the Shaman, who was sitting in his usual spot.

"Death will be a blessing; One you should accept willingly considering the position we are in." The Shaman remained in his position, gazing around the pit, as if looking for something.

"How can you say that? How can you sit there and tell me that the prospect of your death is not terrifying?". The Chief began to raise his voice ever so slightly, as he too began to look up out of the pit, wordlessly joining the Shaman in his hunt to find something hidden. "We could have escaped, you know. Had you helped me when I wasn't weak with hunger, we could have found a way out, escaped when the beast wasn't looking! But instead, all you have done is sat there, praying for the help of spirits that have never come. Now we are doomed to our fate!" There was a clear hint of distress in his voice.

"What do you think would have happened if we managed to get out of this prison?" The Shaman turned to look at the Chief, who had clearly gotten his attention, before continuing. "Do you think the thing would have just let us leave, let us simply walk out? Do you think that even if we did escape, he would not come for us, for our people again? No, even if we had managed to escape this pit, it would have only hastened our deaths, you fool!"

The Shaman lifted his hands in praise to the sky before continuing. "Do you know what I have been doing in these last few days? Communing with the Spirits, and they have shown me much. I have seen what he intends to do with us, and the horror he wishes to unleash upon our clan. I had dreams while we slept here, and at first they were filled with tragedy. Black and brown butterflies surrounded our people, as this monster descended upon them! I could only watch in horror as it slaughtered our people, brutalized them one by one!"

 _He knows of what is to come! He must die! He cannot ruin what is to come!_

The intrusive thoughts began to return. What was creating them? These thoughts appearing in my head were not _my_ thoughts. Before I could think about it more deeply, the Shaman began to rise, his knees buckling ever so slightly, as he continued his prophecies.

"But the spirits have shown me more than suffering, Nootau, they have shown me peace. The peace we will find as we leave this earthly realm to join our ancestors. He will send us to the Great Beyond, to a place where he will never reach, where he cannot ever harm us, where he can never _reach_ us! Do you know why, Chief?" The Shaman glanced down upon the Chief, who returned his gaze, before swiftly swinging his head to my exact position, as if he had known I was there the whole time. "Because I have leashed it to this land, forced it to remain here for all of eternity!"

 _How does he see me? Why does he not cower in fear when he looks upon me? Why isn't he SUFFERING!?_

With a screech of rage, I leapt from the darkness into the pit, landing mere feet away from the Shaman. The Chief screamed, crawling away in fear; The Shaman, however, remained motionless, and if not for his breathing, would almost have blended into the background.

 _Consume him! Devour!_

I ignored these thoughts, as the Shaman began to speak once more.

"You feed off of his fear, don't you?" he said, motioning to the Chief. "Does it anger you that I don't respond the same way? That I don't fear death as you did? That I am not a feral beast like yourself?"

The feeling of bubbling anger returned as I stared at him, watching his exact movements.

 _He mocks you, he mocks US! Kill this pathetic creature!_

 _...No! This is what he wants! I will resist this anger!_

"Well you will go hungry, creature, because you do not scare me! You can kill me, and I know you will, but I willingly embrace my demise! I will ascend to a place that I will have kept you from, a place you will never get to! And I will watch you, as will the rest of MY people, as you continue to be tormented by your endless existence here!"

I leapt for him, wrapping my claws around his torso and lifting him from the ground, shrieking at him. The Shaman did not try to escape, or shout out in panic, instead he laughed; He reared his head back and laughed to the heavens.

 _He has imprisoned me in this form, stealing my humanity! This is HIS fault!_

 _And now he laughs at me? WHY does he LAUGH!?_

 _KILL. DEVOUR. CONSUME!_

The intrusive thoughts returned, and I felt myself losing control over my anger, as the Shaman looked up at me before continuing to speak.

"You are not the man that lived in our home, beast. You are not Mingan! Mingan died on the mountain with Ahote! You-You are something different entirely. Your people know this!

 _NO! Stop talking!_

I began to squeeze him, trying to crush him in my grip, but that only instigated him to continue speaking.

"Do you know what you are to them now? You will forever be remembered as a monster, as he with large teeth! As the-" The Shaman began to gasp for air as he felt the strain on his lungs.

 _I am not something different! SILENCE! Why won't you stop speaking!_

As hard as I tried, crushing his chest could not stop his words from escaping his lips.

"…Makkipatew."

 _THAT IS NOT MY NAME! I am no monster! YOU ARE!_

Anger surged through me, and as it completely overtook me, I strange feeling took over me. It was as if I was watching through my eyes, but had no control over what I was doing. I felt my mouth open, but rather to shriek or bite, the only two things I believed I could do with it anymore, I felt my tongue move, my vocal cords begin to vibrate, as words escaped my lips.

"YOU are the monster!"

My voice was deep and raspy, matching a similar tone as my shrieks. Until now, it had never occurred that I could still speak, could still formulate words; I had been alone, talking only to the voice inside my head.

I drew back one of my hands, before stabbing them into his chest, feeling them emerge through his flesh through his back. I dropped him, watching his body fall to the floor, unmoving. After a few moments, he began to cough, and to my dismay, began to sputter out his final words.

"Only when…the Cursed dies…saving those it has created…preventing his abominations from spreading…will he find what he seeks-" The Shaman coughed, as a dark liquid emerged from his mouth and the new holes in his chest, as the Shaman painstakingly dragged his head off the rock to look at me.

 _What could he believe I seek?_

"…Salvation." As he uttered his last word, seemingly answering my question, his head collapsed to the floor, and the shallow movements of his chest ceased.

For a moment, I simply stood there, looking down upon the Shamans body, when the sound of screams began to echo in my eyes. My head darted to the source, only to find the Chief, who was huddled as far away from me as possible, howling in terror. I approached him, savoring how every step raised his fear, until I was nearly upon him. I dropped to all fours, leaning in so that my face was inches away. The Chief had ceased his howling, and instead began persistently whimpering. As my anger quickly faded at the death of the Shaman, I felt the urge to speak again.

"Coward"

As I let out the singular word, I let out another shriek, yelling straight into his face. The Chief reacted by breaking down once again, bawling like a scared child. I hissed in his face, before returning to the body of the Shaman, my new prize. As I collected him and began to climb out, I felt the intrusiveness of the voice in my head return.

 _Leave him an arm, a leg, something. Make the coward suffer as you did!_

Memories flashed through my head to Ahote; His death after his betrayal, me feasting on his body for survival. Rather than argue this time, I instead cleanly severed the Shaman's left arm, before tossing it in the direction of the Chief; As he cried out, I made my way out of the pit, up towards the entrance of the cave. Once there, I began my meal.

 _Delicious. Satisfying. He deserved his fate!_

 _The others will be just as satisfying!_

After what felt like days, I finally found my gnawing hunger begin to subside with every piece of flesh eaten. I quickly devoured most his torso, and had begun to feast on his liver when my ears began to pick up noises again within the cave. Curious, I returned to my pit, and gazed in, completely surprised by what I saw.

The Chief, in his state of desperation, had begun to madly gnaw at the severed arm that was left behind. He bit into the arm powerfully, extracting piece after piece of flesh and wolfing it down with vigor. I had expected him to give in and try to eat it, but I never believed it would happen so soon.

 _The transformation has begun. Now he too will be like you!_

The voice returned once more, filling my mind. With nothing to distract me, I began to think more intently on these intrusive thoughts.

 _What are you? Why do I hear you?_

Moments passed, and I heard no response. I started back towards the entrance to the cave to continue my feast. When I approached the body, I heard a response.

 _I am the instinct that drives you. What I once was no longer matters. Now, you and I are the same._

As I stared down at the remains of the Shaman's body, I the voice continued to speak.

 _He has destroyed you. Changed you. Twisted you. In his madness, he brought me to you, through a ritual he never truly understood. We are one._

I examined the Shaman's head, which remained perfectly intact. I picked it up, cradling it in my clawed hands, listening as the voice continued on.

 _But now you are strong. Stronger than him, than any of them. Now he lies dead, which is exactly how it should be._

 _He was right about one thing: We are changed. You are no longer like him. Like his people. Like humans._

The last few words weighed heavily on my mind, but I knew they were right. The Shaman was no longer my brother. That tribe was no longer mine, and those who resided in it were no longer _my_ people.

 _They made me into what I am. What I have become now?_

 _-Yes, they did. You are no longer human. You are above them. You are a beast, a predator, a monster._

The realization hit me, the voice was right. I looked down at the Shaman's head before grabbing it with more force. In one fierce tug, I ripped it cleanly off of its body. Holding it in my hands, I stared as the lifeless item began to drip what little blood remained within its skull onto the ground.

I was a monster. A monster who sought retribution for what my prey had done to me. A monster who would ceaselessly search for them, and ensure they all would be slaughtered.

A monster who would gladly rip the flesh off their bones and joyfully devour it, before moving onto my next victim.


	5. Slaughter of the Bystanders

_Three months. It's been over three months since I've posted last. Sorry about that. What turned into a brief hiatus with testing became an absence out of sheer laziness mixed with a tiny amount of writers block. Regardless, better late than never! Here is the next chapter. I won't make promises as to when the next chapter will come out, but I do aim for LESS than three months, lol._

 **5\. Slaughter of the Bystanders**

I had wanted to leave immediately, to emerge from my cave at the soonest nightfall, and begin my hunt for the tribe. But before I could, the Voice stopped me.

 _"You cannot leave until your captive is ready"_

 _What?_

 _"He has consumed flesh as you have. Now he shall change, but you must wait for him to do so. Look upon him now, and you shall see."_

It had been only a small amount of time since I had seen the Chief last, but as I gazed upon him now, something was clearly different. He had fully gorged himself on the arm I had left him, eating most of the flesh off of it, and even starting into the muscle. He sat in the corner, no longer whimpering, or showing any fear really. Instead, he simply sat there, breathing heavily. I moved closer to get a better look, crawling around the pit. The Chief's head slowly looked around, which was a large change in the way he would normally thrust his head around from his inner paranoia. I let out a small yelp to get his attention, and it was then I realized what the change was.

The Chief's eyes, normally unnoticeable to my new vision, now had a slight white glow to his pupils. As his eyes found me, it took him a second to tense up and jump back, as if he had trouble focusing on me in the dark.

 _"With the flesh consumed, the transformation has begun. Soon, he shall become what he fears."_

I decided to wait.

As the days passed, the Chief's body began to morph and change. The eyes, which had only a small hint of whiteness in his pupils, had become a full milky white. His teeth began to twist and sharpen, as they became a jagged mess in his mouth. The limbs became stretched, elongating outwards while becoming exceptionally thin. Hands and feet grew in size, as his toenails and fingernails overcame fingers to form large claws. Hair began to fall out of his skull and face in clumps, until there was none remaining. His skin greyed and became taut against his bones as his limbs grew in size.

Perhaps the greater transformation, however, was his behavior. As the transformation took place, the Chief became much more…wild. He openly devoured the meat I gave him, eating it down to the bone. As he ran out, I continued to give him scraps from the Shaman that I had left unfinished. When I gave him food, he no longer refused to look at more, or back away from me; It was obvious he no longer feared me.

It had been days since the transformation had started, but I clearly understood what had happened to him. He had consumed flesh as I had, and because of that he had changed, as a power took over him and created a monster in my image.

 _He is just like me. Another monster._

 _"You are stronger than this one is. He does not have the power we share."_

Confused as to what the voice meant, I disregarded what it said, as I began to feel the cold hunger return to me. While the Chief evolved into what he was now, I had not left the cave, instead deciding to watch over my captive as the voice suggested. Now, as I watched him crawl around the cave, never straying too far from my sight, I decided that he was ready to emerge into the night, and help me address that hunger problem.

As night covered the landscape in a cool blackness, I emerged from my cave, ready to begin another hunt; The Chief emerged with me, observing how the world had changed since I had taken him. I took off into the night, heading down the familiar path to where I had found the tribe before. The Chief followed close behind me, allowing me to guide him as a parent would a child. Despite the past we shared, he was my charge now, willing to be lead to find the flesh that he craved. And I would lead him there, destroying those that created me, and inadvertently created him.

As we progressed towards the camp, the familiar sense of the tribe's presence became stronger, pointing me in the right direction. As I approached closer, I began to feel a new presence; It was distant, torn away from the rest of the group.

 _"This one is alone! It will be easy to catch! Go after it!"_

Spurred on, I began to move towards it, the Chief following close behind. As we got closer, the prey began to take shape; A man, searching alone in the woods, armed with a long, sharp weapon that I assumed to be a spear. The man appeared to be hunting, or perhaps searching for something.

 _"Whatever this one seeks, he will not find!"_

The sound of joyous laughter filled my mind as I approached the prey slowly, silently stalking it through the trees up above. As I begun to plan a way to take it down silently, I realized that I had not seen the Chief behind me for quite some time. Curious, I looked around, searching for any movement within the trees, when a screech had filled my ears. To my surprise, I saw the Chief perched on a branch ahead of me, glaring down at the man. Paying no regard to me, he readily pounced down upon the man, claws outstretched towards him.

As instinct and fear took over the man, he held his spear up, ready to pierce what had just ascended on him. As the chief landed upon him, the spear made contact with his cold, gray flesh, but it refused to be punctured. The Chief didn't even notice it, as he forcefully grabbed the man's head before swiftly biting into it; The screams of his prey stopped suddenly, as the body went completely limp.

 _This one's weapon did nothing to stop him._

 _"Their weapons of stone will do little to harm any of us."_

For a moment I simply sat there, watching as the Chief devoured his new prey. Fleeting memories of a proud, strong man that lead his people whirled through my head; A man that would have died to protect the people he cared so dearly. But as memories of the past weeks returned, I remembered the cowardice and fear that had filled him; Perhaps that was truly who he was, before I changed him. I descended down the tree, moving towards the Chief. As I approached, I could see him tense up ever so slightly, as if ready to defend his catch. I would lay no claim to the food he killed, no matter how delicious it would be; No, there were would plenty to go around, after the rest at camp were found.

I motioned to him, growling slightly and moving my head away towards their main camp; I realize I could have simply spoke to him, but that no longer felt… _normal_ , anymore. Thankfully, the Chief seemed to understand, perhaps feeling the same way about speaking as I did. He set his catch to the side near the base of a tree, before following me down along the trail.

They were so close now, the sensation of their presence was incredibly strong. By now, I could smell the ashes of their campfires, and the meats being roasted on them. Finally, we saw them, as we looked over the small valley where their encampment stood. I was genuinely surprised, after my last encounter with them I never would have expected them to all still be here.

 _They know of my presence, yet they have not run from this mountain. Why would they stay?_

 _"Perhaps they search for someone they will no longer find."_

The Chief. It would make sense for them to try to find him before escaping, he was one of the few selected to lead them, without him, they would fall apart.

 _They will find him soon enough._

I looked over to the Chief, and his white, skinny eyes gazed back at me. I don't know if he could truly understand, or if he was simply following through blind devotion, but as I gave a slight nod, he reared his head back, filling the quiet night with a loud shriek, before bounding out of the tree and down towards the camp.

 _He is so eager to devour those he lead only a short time ago._

 _"The Chief is dead."_

 _What do you mean?_

 _"Those who undergo the transformation lose their bodies, but they also lose themselves; Their emotions, their memories, their minds. This one you call "Chief" is no longer there._

 _But I still can remember, even if it is only fragments of what I once was. Why am I different?_

 _"Because you have me."_

Deciding I would rather hunt than continuing conversing, I let out a shriek as the Chief had moments ago, and leaped down from my perch before descending into the camp.

What happened next felt like a blur. I could hear the screaming before I could see anything. When I finally arrived, my vision was bleached in red; everyone and everything was moving around. I saw the Chief, slowly decimating the few tribesmen that dared stand against him. Their knives and bows did nothing as he shrugged them off, picking people up and either decapitating or disemboweling them. I could smell the blood on the ground, and the hunger in me swelled as I heard excited sound of the Voice speaking to me.

 _DEVOUR! Oh what a feast they shall be!_

I agreed, eagerly jumping to the nearest tribesman, before biting into his neck. Knowing he would be dead in minutes, I looked up, scanning the area before choosing my next target, and pouncing after them. None of them were a match for either of us, and in those initial minutes we had wiped out a large portion of that camp, as their bodies lied strewn along the ground. The Chief and I darted off in opposite directions at this point; We both wanted prey, and there was plenty to find for each of us if we went our separate ways.

I chased a small group through a clearing, before jumping into the trees. I stalked them through the trees, quickly gaining on them, screaming and hissing all the way. All of a sudden, the familiar red glow of movement ceased, as if my prey had just vanished into thin air. Frustrated, I jumped to the ground, scanning the area. They couldn't have been more than 20 feet in front of me, yet they had vanished. That was when I heard the crying behind me.

I twisted around, to see the faint glow of a young man curled up on the ground below me. How had I missed him?

 _"We cannot see what does not move swiftly."_

 _He is mine now._

With a shout, I grabbed him, feeling his body squirm in my claws. I lifted him up by his next, as his whimpering cries became ones of panic.

"NO! My Boy!"

My head snapped to the left, as I found my other prey. One was on their hands and knees crying, the other, whom I assumed to be the boy's father, was loud, shouting at me, but remaining firmly in place.

"Get your claws off of my son, Beast! Leave him be!"

I smiled inwardly, as I took my free hand and, in one quick motion, decapitated his son. His body fell to the ground, limp, as I threw his head towards his family. They were both crying and shouting now, but they never dared to leave the circle.

 _Now they will meet their child's fate!_

 _"Wait-"_

Before hearing what the voice had to say, I leaped forward, rushing towards the couple; They remained in place, refusing to run from me. The world began to glow a dim white as I got closer and closer, the sensation hurting my eyes. I tried to push onward, the sweet reward of new flesh urging me forward, to kill them, but the closer I had gotten, the more intense and unbearable the light had become.

 _"NO! Stop! Get away from the light!"_

I stopped in place, letting out a shriek of pain and frustration. The light was concentrated in front of me, standing as a protective wall around the circle my prey was standing in. It took me a minute to finally realize what was causing it: The circle was composed of totems, sitting in a perfect formation around the couple, protecting them. It was from their eyes that the light protruded, bathing my vision in its brightness.

Brief visions came flooding back: an unholy chanting, a circle of totems with me in the center, and a bright, white, terrifying light.

 _This was where they did it. Were they changed me._

 _"Get away from here! They are not worth it! The light is too bright!"_

For the first time in a while, fear began to well inside me. Deciding the new prey wasn't worth it, I quickly ran back, wrapping my claws around the body of their son, before taking off into the trees.

When I had finally made my way back to the encampment, I once again found the Chief; He had amassed his prey around him, gleefully feasting on the flesh of one of his victims. As I moved to begin feasting on a fresh carcass, the gravity of what had happened hit me.

 _They are dead. Gone._

 _"And now, they are yours."_

 _What happens now? Now that there is no one to feast on?_

 _"There will be others. There are always others. When they make the mistake of coming to this mountain, then they shall be ours. Their flesh will sustain us."_

 _How do you know?_

I carelessly continued feasting on the dead, as I waiting for the Voice to respond. It never did.


	6. Origins of a Stranger

_Well, this didn't take me three months to write, so looks like I'm making good progress!_

 _Itharax: Thank you! Glad you're enjoying it!_

 _Arkham's Incurable: Thank you! I think you'll see in time that it becomes much more than a backstory!_

 **5\. Origins of a Stranger**

After the slaughter that took place at the camp, time began to blur in my mind. With no fresh prey, it would seem the Chief and I no longer had a purpose; The price of what they had done to me had been paid. We spent weeks simply feasting on their remains whenever the urge came, the cold, snowy mountain keeping the bodies relatively fresh. Once our abundant food supply was completely consumed, we began our habitual routine, of hunting in the night, and hiding within the mountain's cave systems during the day.

For a while, a constant hunger would fill us, and when the sun had set each day, we would take to the forest, searching for even the hint of human meat to be consumed; The majority of nights, we would have to settle for any of the wildlife that we could fine. There were occasional times, however, when I would sense a traveler that dared to wander into my territory; It would end up costing them their lives, as we would either incapacitate, only to feast on them in the safety of our caves, or simply be consumed on the spot.

I had no need, nor the desire, to measure and record the weeks and months that passed, however after what I believe to be a few years, a familiar face returned to the mountain.

It was early within the night, and I was stalking a deer in an attempt to alleviate the emptiness in my belly, I began to sense a presence, as did the voice.

 _"Fresh prey comes into our domain"_

 _Their flesh will sustain us._

I raised my head to the sky, letting out a piercing shriek, awaiting a response. A few seconds later, a shriek in the distance answered my call. Early on I had used shrieks to summon the Chief, it was an excellent way to ensure the takedown of any morsel that attempted to escape before it could be caught; The Chief certainly didn't mind, unlike me, he didn't have a proper way of sensing humans at extremely long distances as I did, likely because he didn't have what I had inside his head. Within minutes, I heard the rustling of tree branches, and knew he was close enough to start the hunt.

I leapt forward, letting the instinctual sensation guide me to where our newest meal. In what felt like minutes, the sensation began to get intensely strong; It was almost as if our prey was moving _towards_ us. This struck me as odd, surely nobody could be this morbidly curious?

 _Why would they come closer to us?_

 _"Why does it matter? A fool, a genius, they all taste the same! Rip this one to shreds!"_

Spurred on by the Voice, I continued forward, the chief close behind me. By this point I could hear the small noises of a foot slowly crunching into the snow on the ground. I stopped moving, and simply glanced down upon the ground, waiting.

Slowly, I watched a bright figure move through the snowy forest below me. They were alone, and were clutching something large and sharp in one hand, and something that emitted a faint, yet bright, light in the other. There was a faint smell of something…odd, in the air, a smell I have never encountered before; This would not deter me, as I let out a low hiss, getting into a position to pounce.

The man went completely still, and the brightness of his body completely disappeared, leaving nothing but the dull gray color of the rest of the world. I began to feel hot anger fill me; It had been a long time since my last feeding on human meat, and my one opportunity for the night has seemingly disappeared.

 _No! Where has he gone! He was MINE!_

 _"Be calm, we can only see that which moves!"_

 _They usually always run, and we chase them to their deaths!_

 _"He knows of our vision, of your weakness, and appears to actively pursue us… How is this possible?"_

Before this question could be answered, I heard a sharp roar as the Chief pounced onto the ground, seemingly angered at the disappearance of the prey as well. As he threw his head back and forth, desperately looking for our victim, quiet, barely audible words were heard:

"I'm sorry."

In a flash of light, the man returned directly behind the chief, his movements filling my vision. But I was no longer paying attention to his movements, but rather what he now held. The seemingly unimportant weapon our prey was holding now had a bright, hot fire emanating from it. In what seemed like slow motion, I watched as the man, with a fierce roar, stab the tip of his weapon directly into the Chief's back, and then out through his chest.

The Chief fell onto his hands as he shrieked, and as he did so the man forced the weapon deeper into him, until it stuck into the ground, pinning the Chief. I could see from my position that the fire from the weapon was still burning him on the inside, as flames began to lick up from out of the wound and onto his back and chest. As he yelped and writhed upon the ground, the man drew something that appeared to be a bottle from his clothing; In one quick motion, he opened the bottle and began dousing the Chief with its contents.

Whatever the liquid was, it was clearly flammable, as fresh flames emerged on the Chief's body, completely engulfing him. Whatever perceived invulnerability I assumed we had was thrown out the window as I saw the Chief's skin and body melt from the heat. The man looked down at the monster, and with one final motion, grabbed for his weapon and forced it out of the burning creature.

The Chief, after all of this pain, had finally stopped shouting and moving. But as the man began to look up, something that appeared to be mist began to radiate out of the Chief. As it floated into the night, the mist began to take on a new form: a face, specifically the old face of the being I created months ago. With surprising speed, the face no longer simply vanished upwards, but instead shifted its direction towards me. As it touched me, it dissipated completely, and I felt a small jolt of energy course through me.

 _What just happened here?_

 _"The prey has killed him through purification! The fire has destroyed his flesh; he knows of our weakness! RUN! This one is not worth it!_

I was shocked to sense fear in the Voice's words, and as a sense of dread began to fill me, I took off through the trees in the opposite direction. I heard the footsteps behind me break off into a run, as the man yelled behind me:

"Now it's your turn to suffer, beast! Now you get to feel the pain I felt!"

Unsure as to what he was talking about, I ignored it as I leapt from branch to branch.

 _"Safety in the dark. Return to the caves, lose this one there."_

So I retreated, leaping and climbing through to the safety of my caves, realizing what it felt like to be prey for the first time in what felt like forever. Eventually I made it back in and, with a quick look back, saw the bright white movement of someone in the distance; The man had chased me through the forest, and now intended to follow me into my home.

 _This one will not make it out_

 _"We know these caves better than he will. Ambush him, and flay his skin!"_

Instigated by the Voice, I proceeded down into the depths of the cave, waiting for the man to join me. After some time had passed, I could hear the faint echo of boots hitting hard rock, and I knew he was in the cave with me. It was then that I heard his voice, as it bounced off the walls of the confined space.

"Run as far into the Earth as you like, beast! I will follow you into its center if I have too!"

I simply waited in silence, as I heard the footsteps descend deeper into my home. The man did little to hide himself from me, constantly yelling down in an attempt to goad me into attacking him.

 _Surprising him should allow me to kill him before he can harm me._

"You killed just about everyone in our tribe, Makkapitew! Slaughtered! And for what? To feed your animalistic cravings? You were once one of us! A MAN! But now you are nothing! Nothing but a feral beast that needs to be put down!

I felt a familiar anger return to me, as I was forced to listen to this man's words. His voice was getting louder and louder, and I could tell he was close.

 _"This one still doesn't understand what you are, what WE are! Rip off his arms, and he can't set us alight! Then we shall FEAST!"_

"I watched you kill my son. He was just barely a man, he didn't deserve his fate, NONE of us did!"

Realization hit me; This was the man whose son I had violently slaughtered. He knew of my fear of the totems even before I did. And he knew what it took to end my life, despite my superior form.

 _"His hatred for us will drive him to his death."_

 _I shall reunite him with his son, and leave the scraps of his body to rot in these depths!_

He was close now, so close. I could see the glow of his body as he moved deeper and deeper into the cave. He was carrying a torch, but the fear of this man had long since passed as anger-based determination took its place.

He stopped in place, almost directly in front of my hiding spot, brandishing another bottle out of his clothing. It was time for me to make my move, to end this creature's miserable life.

"You are a freak of nature! An animal that only understands it's hunger! Well now I will teach you to understand something else: Pain!"

 _"DEVOUR!"_

With a screech I leapt forward, pouncing straight for the man's chest; I collided into it, knocking him to the ground. The bottle in the man's hand was knocked to the ground, shattering and spilling its contents around us in a small pool. Before he could react, I wrapped my hands around the man's torso, lifting him from the ground and shrieking into his face.

 _All of his talk, and now he is mine! I will make his death excruciating!_

But where I expected to be shouts, screams, or cries, I only heard coarse laughter escape the man's lips. He was still clutching his torch, which still burnt faintly, but made no move to swing it at me.

 _"He laughs at us now? Perhaps he is more insane than we believed"_

 _This will not change how he tastes!_

But before I could slice into him, the man spoke up one final time:

"Come now, feel the burning pain that I have felt for all this time!"

And with that, he dropped the torch directly below us, instantly igniting whatever liquid was stored within his now broken bottle.

Hot, searing pain enveloped me as my feet and legs were exposed to its hot flames. Screaming, I dropped the man into his own trap, as I desperately began to move away. Before I could get very far, I felt a tug on my legs as I was knocked to the ground. The man, consumed by his own fire, jumped upon me, brandishing a knife. As he remained conscious, he lay upon me, burning my flesh and stabbing into me. A dull numbness slowly enveloped me, as the world around me slowly began to darken. With the last of my strength, I lifted the man off me with one clawed hand before forcing my other through his chest. The man's struggling stopped, and he fell to the floor, as I slowly freed my hand from his torso.

I was completely numb at this point, no longer feeling the flames from the fire, or the pain from the stab wounds. The world around me slowly began to darken, and I struggled to take in the remaining light from the environment, desperately trying to reject what was happening to me; Eventually, I accepted what was to come, and simply lay there.

 _I'm dying._

The world turned to black, as I awaited a response from the Voice; After what felt like an eternity, I got one.

 _"Not quite..."_

 _What?_

 _"He has taken the body, but that can be replenished with time. And with his death, he has given me the means to keep you here, to keep us sustained until the time is right. Relax, do you not feel tired after all you have accomplished?"_

As the Voice said this, a feeling of pure exhaustion began to wash over me. I was tired, so very tired, but I was still unsure of what was going on.

 _When will the time be "right"? When will I awaken?_

Exhaustion took over, and I felt myself begin to embrace what I assumed to be sleep. But before I lost whatever consciousness I had in the blackness, I heard the Voice one last time:

 _When more souls come to be ruined._


End file.
